Its not population only logic, but it does underscore that it is silly to expect the United States to inevitably be ahead.
As for the rest of it:
As for the rest of it:
It's not in the interests of the vast majority of either country to engage in conflict. American citizens should therefore resist the professed bellicosity of leaders who will never see any consequences, on a battlefield or otherwise. The average American will not be so lucky. Chinese innovation in a world of cooperation need not be less beneficial to Americans than the reverse.